No alcohol by the peg at liquor shops

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Dry: Wine shops that allowed people to drink in their premises wore a
deserted look last night. Pic/Sanjay MD

Wine shops are not allowed to sell loose liquor, serve alcohol or allow customers to drink in the premises without a valid bar licence. However, according to excise department officials, nearly 50 per cent of the wine shops in the city are guilty of committing at least one of these offences.

In the PIL against the excise department, the litigant has stated that most of the city's wine shops were selling loose liquor and allowing people to drink in the premises, which was disturbing common people. He has alleged that wine shop owners were making money illegally while authorities were turning a blind eye.

The PIL came up for hearing at 4 pm yesterday but Excise Commissioner Aravind Jannu did not know the precise time and went to court at noon. Sources say the four-hour wait preceding the hearing irked him and that was one of the major reasons behind the crackdown.

"He ordered his junior officers to initiate a strict crackdown on wine shops as soon as he came back from the hearing. He made it clear that such activities will not be tolerated and senior officials should be informed immediately if there was a law breach. He also requested the police department to take necessary action," said a source in the excise department.

Effects
Wine shops which allowed people to drink in their premises wore a deserted look last night. Daily customers told MiD DAY that they were struggling to find new places to drink as wine shops had stopped serving alcohol in their premises.

Some wine shops even had two police personnel on guard to ensure the orders were followed.
The excise department is keeping a close watch on small wine shops too. They have also asked wine shops to keep the deadline in mind and adhere to it.

"We are facing a PIL which states that the department has failed to keep a proper watch on wine stores and deadlines. After the hearing, I ordered junior officials and requested the police department to take strict action against the shops which don't follow the rules. Some shops were not following them and they will face strict action from now on," said Jannu.

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